Vita ex Metus
by Zerglinster
Summary: The story of an android and crew members of the Yokaze group on a mission (lucky 13) to save the inhabitants from the alien infestation. There is more to it though, as will be seen. (The idea of the "Xenomorphs" is property of Fox Entertainment)


Vita ex Metus  
  
DATA LOG: Thirty years have passed since the loss of The Nostromo. Alien lifeforms have been discovered and are simply named Xenomorphs. The Weyland-Yutani Corporation has issued a warrant to capture these creatures for important "research". Throughout the years many colonies have been infested by the aliens. Thus, groups have sprung up to save these colonies, yet some leave them to their doom from the orders of Weyland- Yutani correspondents. The bounty group 'Yokaze' is reported to protect a colony in Sector T-378. The planet Ohjda is the home to approximately three-thousand and fifty humans. The distress signal had been picked up by the 'Yokaze' and rushed to their aid after a fair price was made. The use of androids in these groups are widespread, and many are customly programmed to fulfill their duties. The time is approximately 18:47:03 hours Ohjda time. Android 5-OCR-4735 LOGGING OFF...  
  
"Hey, Socrates."  
"Yes Commander Stolts?"  
"How many missions does this make so far?"  
"Approximately thirteen Commander Stolts."  
"You know, you could just call me Stolts."  
"Would Commander Stolts like you stealing his name Stolts?"  
"No, I mean...look, never mind...carry on with calling me Commander Stolts, got it?"  
"Yes commander Stolts."  
Socrates is a male android unit named after its code. Working with the 'Yokaze' was what it was programmed to do, and do so till shutdown. Socrates looked at the planet. There was a reddish cloud surrounding the equator, with the poles being an eary black. The planet was mainly desert, along with marshes at the poles. He could not understand how humans could live there, let alone make a living.  
"Commander Stolts." asked Socrates.  
"Augh, yes?" replied Stolts.  
"How do humans live there?"  
"What, down there?"  
"Yes."  
"Ummm, that's not a question you should be asking me. Go ask Nitz, he'd know."  
"Yes Commander Stolts."  
Socrates stood up and walked through the grey hallway aboard the ship the Levis. The hallway was dark with rusted metal, littered with pictures of the crews loved ones. Socrates looked at one of the pictures in front of him on the wall. It showed a human child and Commander Stolts smiling making hand signs at the photographer. He could never know what they were feeling at that time, even if it happened in the ship. He was not programmed for emotions, that was not expected to show up in his models. He was "out of date" so to speak. Socrates walked up to a door that showed a skull insigna on it. He saw Nitz inside reading a novel. Nitz looked up from the book.  
"Huh? Oh, its you. Wuzzup?" said Nitz.  
"Nitz, could you answer a question of mine?" said Socrates.  
"Sure, just a sec." said Nitz as he put a bookmark in the novel.  
"What is it Socs?"  
"How do humans live there?" asked Socrates pointing to the planet through the viewing panel.  
"They use machines to survive."  
"Hm? Machines like me?"  
"No, not like you. Their machines don't think or talk, all they do is work. The Levis itself is a machine."  
"What do they do on that planet?"  
"They harvest laoru. A plant that they believe gives the holder the hope of light."  
"Do they eat it?"  
"Hell no! Its actually quite toxic, it is merely a charm. It sells for a bundle."  
"Is that what we are being paid in then?"  
"Yes, I believe so."  
The door opened again and in came Zal. He was the so called technician of the Levis, even though he didn't seem to fix anything.  
"Oh, hey Zal, wuzzup?" asked Nitz.  
"Same ol' same ol', Lordon is acting up again." replied Zal.  
"Is that so? What did you do this time?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, the last time he acted up you two were playing chess and you took the King and kept on moving it up and down on the Queen."  
"So? Can't that guy take a joke?"  
"You know how he is, ever since the incident when he was young he has been high strung."  
"What incident?" asked Socrates.  
"sigh How many times do I have to tell you Socs?"  
"My memory banks are emptied after every mission so not to cause blockage in my memory banks."  
"Fine........About fifteen years ago, before any of us had met up, Lordon was on a small planet in a Solar System neighboring Earth. When he was there, he and his family were attacked by aliens. Before he could react, his family was dead, and he was missing a chunk of his skull. After that, he was fed up with living in fear. He joined our group when we said we required an experienced hunter. He wasn't much of a killer, but he was experienced, so we brought him along. He was the one who programmed you, remember?"  
"Yes, that is correct. I have just 'remembered' the event of being activated with Father Lordon's software."  
"He is pretty whacked if you ask me." said Zal.  
"Shall I go, as you humans say, comfort Father Lordon?" asked Socrates.  
"Go right ahead, me and ol' Zal here need to have a talk."  
"Who are you calling old you buzzard?!" yelled Zal.  
Socrates sat up and walked out the sliding door. He walked down a second corridor to Lordon's resting area. When he walked in he saw chess pieces scattered on the floor with Lordon in the corner with head in arms. He was mumbling to himself, but Socrates couldn't understand what he was saying.  
"What is it Father Lordon?"  
"Huh?! Oh, 5-OCR-4735. What are you doing here?"  
"I have come to comfort you Father Lordon. I heard you were upset again."  
"There is nothing you can do for me, go ahead out."  
"As you say Father Lordon."  
Socrates walked out of the door, he could never understand what a human felt or experienced. He walked back to his quarters when he heard Zal and Nitz arguing. He put his head against the wall to listen. It wasn't spying, for it was his duty to ensure the safety of the humans aboard the Levis.  
"Yeah yeah yeah, I get the picture Nitz...fine I'll be nicer around Lordon." said Zal.  
"And?" asked Nitz.  
"And what?"  
"What will you do with Socs?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"One word M-E-M-O-R-Y."  
"Is it time to change it already?"  
"You know what Lordon says, the program installed must be cleaned out every so often...you wouldn't want one of 'those' on board would you?"  
Zal and Nitz sat there and looked at each other for a few moments. Zal sat up and walked to the door.  
"Alright, I'll do it right after dinner. I'm fucking starved." said Zal.  
"Thanks a lot."  
Socrates moved away from the wall and walked to his quarters. He processed what the two were talking about. He 'remembered' hearing stories about android units that went berserk from a shortage in the central process system. But he was a newer model, nothing like that occurred to his product line. Socrates remembered the program that was installed into his processor....that's right... that was the thing they were afraid of...and Lordon has to live with it in each mission. He looked at the cold ceiling, made with the same material he was composed of. Plastics and metals, they were both cold and unfeeling, and never would...  
  
Socrates sat up as he heard Stolts's voice on the intercom.  
"Aight crew, report to the meeting room for dinner and important announcements."  
Nitz and Zal rushed down the corridor to get their daily dose of slightly edible food. Socrates stood up and met up with them in the corridor. Although he did not need to eat and obtained most of his energy from hibernation, Socrates always went to feeding time to ensure that he was a part of the crew.  
Lordon sat up from his bed and slumped over to the door and went through it. Everyone was walked into the room simultaneously and almost ran into each other. The meeting room is at the center of the ship, being connected to several rooms for easy access. There was a rectangular table in the center with a few monitors here and there. Zal looked at the food on the table. It was the same thing that they've been eating for the past month. A mixture of blue colored gruel with a side of gelatinous fruit cubes and water. There was the occasional green gruel, but it wasn't that popular.  
"Ahhhh, nothing like ending a shitty boring day with a shitty boring dinner." complained Zal.  
"Oh come on, is that what you have to say about my food? I am the head of this ship and group, so eat up." chuckled Stolts.  
  
The stench of the gruel was strong in the air, and the dishes were placed in the micron washer. Bits and pieces of dirt and grime were stripped from the surface and jettisoned into space. Lordon sat up and signaled to Socrates. He followed him into a large rectangular room filled with a variety of machines.  
"Alright Socrates," Lordon said gloomily, "Its time again to clean your memory."  
"Father Lordon." replied Socrates.  
"Yeah?"  
"I'll see your face as I did when I was first activated by you."  
"That is right."  
"Why do I continue?"  
"Hm?"  
"My programming is clear, but is there more purpose for me?"  
"Hm, even I believe that you have more purpose, but people believe that an androids orders cannot succeed their programming. Now, enough questions, you will soon enough forget what you asked anyway."  
Lordon took a coned object and stuck it into the back of Socrates's neck socket. He began to tap in some keys with the occasional flip of the switch. There was a lout buzz followed by a consistent hum. Lordon shut off the machine and unhooked Socrates.  
"Hello father Lordon," said Socrates with the same glance he gave when he first awoke, "I am 5-OCR-4735."  
"I know," replied Lordon, "are you ready for your programming?"  
"Whenever the creator is ready."  
"We shall activate you soon. Until then, initiate slumber mode."  
"Initiating..."  
Lordon walked out of the room and sat back down at the table. He looked up to see Zal.  
"So, how was it?" asked Zal.  
"Same as always, why do you care?" responded Lordon harshly.  
"It-He is still apart of this crew, no matter how unlike us he is."  
"True, he is a little out of date. Hell, I remember when I found him." "Yeah, the androids nowadays are too much like humans. Socrates has that old world charm about him. Somehow, the lesser something is similar to a human, the more like us it seems."  
"Hm, that's very philosophical, even for you."  
"Jee, thanks asshole. Hey," Zal said looking out the viewing panel, "we are almost there."  
"Lucky thirteen." 


End file.
